Solemn Goodbyes, Part 2
by Totally-Out-Of-It
Summary: “Why?” he muttered. Sasuke blinked and listened curiously. “Why does it hurt, Sasuke?” he grimaced. “I’m sorry.” he heard Sasuke mumble. His head was nuzzled into Naruto’s neck. He knew he was crying. SasuNaru


**2 of 3 I wrote.**

**Solemn Good-Byes** They are 16 in this story...making it very believable.

**Naruto**

**Recommended Song - Don't Speak by No Doubt** Trust me. Besides, you can always change it., also, put it on repeat because it _shouldn't _be long enough to reach the end of this fic. If you read it properly it shouldn't at least...

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Sasuke stood in the corner of the waiting room. Kakashi was whispering with Tsunade about Naruto but Sasuke could hear every word and he wished he couldn't. Because it couldn't be true, right?

'_Back off, Uchiha! I don't need your help!'_ he could hear Naruto from that morning in his ears. How could he have hidden this from everyone? Sasuke tilted his head forward to hide his eyes and the slightly pained expression on his face.

"Sasuke?" a familiar female voice cooed. "Sasuke?" He looked up with his normal neutral look on.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just...Kakashi wanted to speak with you. I was told to leave for the day.. Wish him my best?" Sakura asked as she waved and left. Sasuke didn't get it. Who? Oh well. He trudged to Kakashi.

"You wanted me?" he asked. They were in Naruto's hospital room.

"Oh, Sasuke. There you are. You already know, right?" the older ninja asked. Sasuke nodded.

He'd overheard the whispers. Naruto was sick. Really sick. Deathly sick. Probably fatal and no one knew how or when he caught it. Damn doctors probably didn't _want_ to help.

"Good. Then no need for painful explanations. Sasuke.." Kakashi placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Tsunade told me.. He may not live..."

"Past midnight. I know." Sasuke grunted. Suddenly Kakashi was hugging him. "Huh!"

"I know you two must be very close even though you fight. If he does end up dying... I hope he does knowing how you really feel. How we all really feel." The man stood up straight, releasing Sasuke, and promptly left the room after patting Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke watched his teacher leave before looking at the blonde on the bed. He sighed and walked over.

"Hey, Dobe. Idiot. You should've gotten help when this started. This is all your fault, you know." he stated coldly as he sat down. Naruto flinched. Sasuke smirked. He knew the dobe was awake.

"Stop pretending. Come on." he said, no longer cold but not warm either. Naruto opened one eye and then sighed before opening both. "See? Not so hard." Sasuke teased.

"Shut up!" Naruto almost jumped up to grab Sasuke but instantly froze and laid back down. He had one arm around his own wrist and one hand on his heart. "Why?" he muttered. Sasuke blinked and listened curiously. "Why does it hurt, Sasuke?" he grimaced. Sasuke's features softened as he watched the blonde shake. He leaned over and hugged the boy. The shaking stopped as Naruto looked extremely surprised.

"I'm sorry." he heard Sasuke mumble. His head was nuzzled into Naruto's neck. Naruto's eyes looked down at Sasuke.

"What? Why!" he didn't understand. None of this was Sasuke's fault. Why would the bastard care anyway?

"I should have noticed it sooner. I.. should have told you sooner." Naruto was about to question this but decided it would ruin this situation. He felt his heart painfully pulse again and flinched. The grip on his shirt above his heart tightened. Sasuke felt it. He backed off but when he looked at Naruto's face, he was smiling. He stared at him, confused.

"Do me a favor?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded. "Can you help me get out of here and to the forest?" he smiled. Sasuke smiled back.

"Sure."

-

"Man.. I never knew how hard it was to get out of a hospital." Naruto laughed. Sasuke had carried Naruto on his back to get out of the hospital and out of town, but now Naruto insisted on walking.

"Naruto..." the blonde turned to look at his dark haired teammate. "Why'd you wanna come out here anyway?"

"Because..." they entered a clearing with a lake in it. He walked over to the lake and stared into the water.

The sun was starting to set and the water was an assortment of colors. Different hues of red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple coated the sky and reflected in the water. Naruto ran his left hand through the water as he sat down.

"I feel free out here..." he said truthfully.

"Free?" Sasuke repeated. Naruto nodded.

"No one's here to shun me...or hate me...Nature doesn't know the word hate, Sasuke...It only knows how to love." he said, philosophical almost. "I can come out here whenever I need to think."

"I don't know why or how anyone could hate you, dobe. But I don't hate you, so I want to know...why didn't you tell us you were sick?" Sasuke asked in all seriousness.

"Because I didn't think it mattered." he said bluntly, yet softly. "For those few who cared, I'm gonna have to apologize. But, ignorance is bliss they say..." he muttered, standing up and dusting himself off.

"You could've at least told me. I don't know bliss either way." Sasuke said shortly.

"Oh yea...why do you care anyway huh? You hate me!" Naruto pointed accusingly at the dark haired boy.

Sasuke just stared back. Not mean. Not hateful. Just looking. With a hint of worry and something else hidden within the recesses of his mind.

"Why do I care?" he narrowed his eyes. "Why do I care? God Naruto! You're so dense!" he calmed down. "You notice that Sakura backed off? It's because she noticed it. Why I spend more time with you than anyone else? It's because I've noticed it. But you, you're so on course of hating me and hiding everything about yourself from the world you haven't noticed!"

"Noticed what Sasuke, huh? That I'm dying? I've noticed. That I don't like Sakura? I've noticed. That I've lost my appetite? _I've noticed!_" his eyes began to water, the tears threatening to fall. "_I've noticed_! I've noticed that I-" he suddenly stopped and fell.

Sasuke was there in a second, catching the blonde boy as he fell. He cradled Naruto as he sat him up slightly.

"Naruto? Naruto!" he called, shaking said boy. Blue eyes opened slightly.

"Sasuke...I'm cold..." he muttered, trying to move closer to Sasuke's body heat. Sasuke panicked slightly and held him closer.

"Naruto...You haven't noticed...You say you have, but those things aren't what I'm talking about..." Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear. Naruto clutched Sasuke shirt in an attempt to hold on to life longer, like the blue fabric of his rival's shirt would be his anchor. "I...I love you..."

Even at their closeness, Naruto could barely hear those words spoken. And he smiled. The sunset nearly over, Sasuke would later look back and find similarities in both phenomenon. The sunset is the changing from the sunny day, to the dark night. Naruto's life was filled with a light matching that of the sun. And when he died, it was as if an eternal night had been dropped over the city...

"Yea..." Naruto's voice was shaking, as was he. Sasuke held him closer. "I've noticed that...too..." his smile seemed to widen. "I love you too...Sasu...ke..." he exhaled all air that was left in his body with that last word.

"Naruto?" Sasuke whispered. He knew he was crying. He didn't know when he'd started crying, but he was. "Naruto please...Please Naruto..." he shook the smaller boy a bit, but he didn't move.

Naruto's left hand fell from Sasuke's shirt, and landed softly on the ground. His eyes were half open and he was still smiling. A true, happy smile. Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes, but found they had already lost what light Naruto used to carry. Unable to see them anymore, he slowly closed his friend's eyes. Tears still falling, as the night gathered around them, he spoke in a hushed tone very unlike his own.

"What are you smiling at dobe? You never fulfilled your dream...and now, I can't possibly fulfill mine...I'll see you again soon...In heaven...you'll have the brightest, purest wings I'll ever see...and we'll be together...forever." he placed a simple, soft kiss on Naruto's lips and his tears landed on Naruto's eyes...as if _he_ were crying too...in joy and sadness.

-

Sasuke lived to the age of 24, jumping the ranks and becoming Anbu before he was poisoned on a mission and died mere hours later...next to Naruto's grave. They buried Sasuke next to Naruto, under the cherry trees around the lake Naruto loved so much.

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Onee-chan #2 : Oneechan #1 had to help with this one. We (Out and O.C. #2) were about to do a recreation of the FMA one...-sigh-

Out : But we didn't! It's different, yet the same, yet completely original from everything else.


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